#59: Hostile Witness

Forster, Rebecca: Hostile Witness. Signet Fiction, 2004. E-book.

-

SETTING: Hermosa Beach, California.

-

SUMMARY: Giving up on criminal law after a traumatizing experience with a client three years ago, Josie Bates moves to Hermosa Beach, California, a quiet town that allows her to hide from both per personal and professional lives.  As soon as she starts becoming content with her life, she's once again thrown into the fast lane.  A college friend shows up at her doorstep one night, begging her to represent her 16 year-old daughter, who has been charged with the murder of her step-grandfather.  Initially reluctant, Bates finds herself putting her all into the case, thoroughly believing in her client's innocence. 

-

FAVORITE QUOTE: "Kip Rayburn was nothing to look at.  He wasn't unattractive, simply unmemorable." - Chapter 11.

-

Another free e-book from iBooks!  I picked this one because the little blurb was interesting, and I always love a good mystery novel. 

-

Things I like about this book:

1. The storyline.  I read this book in two days!  I should have been studying... (I have a test coming up), but I couldn't put it down!  It was a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat type of book, and I haven't read one of those in a very long time!
2. Bates and Archer's relationship.  Archer is Bates' boyfriend, and they have a very healthy relationship with great boundaries and an understanding of how the other person works.  It's a very mature and realistic relationship.
3. Hannah Sheraton's character.  She is the accused in the novel and is such a complex person.  The author did a great job developing her and presenting her multi-layered character to the reader.
4. The exploration of obsessive-compulsive disorder.  This like is probably biased because I am currently in my psychiatry rotation, and it is always fun to see what you're studying in other settings.  Hannah Sheraton suffers from OCD and the author did a great job of defining it and fitting it into the story, especially into the crime.  Even better was the fact that the author explored why Hannah has OCD.
5. Linda Rayburn's thought process.  Linda is Hannah Sheraton's mother and she is a TERRIBLE mother.  I didn't like her character (see point #2 below), but I appreciated her view of things.  Her reasoning behind most of her decisions as a mother are terrible, but, the author makes sure to explain why she made those decisions.  And as the reader, I was able to see where she was coming from.  It served as a reminder that things aren't always black and white, and a person can make a terrible decision but have what they think is sound reasoning behind it.  This didn't make the decision correct or less despicable, but I found her thought process very interesting. 
6. Quick and enjoyable read.  It didn't take me long to finish the book, and it also didn't take a whole lot of brain power.  Kind of like a beach read.

-
Things I didn't like about this book:

1. Bates became really annoying in the middle of the book.  She was whiny and immature and her attachment to the case became unprofessional at times.  Lawyers are supposed to stay within the boundaries of the law, and there were times when her emotions completely disregarded this point of professionalism.  She did what she wanted to do because she thought it was good for her client, not taking into account what her client might want.  She sometimes had a holier-than-thou attitude and that is a characteristic I cannot stand.
2. Linda Rayburn.  I hated her for the majority of the book because she is a terrible, selfish person.
3. Judge Rayburn.  One twisted man.

-
I really enjoyed this book.  It isn't going to ever become a classic, and will probably be forgotten after a generation of readers, but it's fun and quick, and a nice book for summer when it sometimes gets too hot to even think.

-

Recommend?  Yes!